Trail running continues to change. Long established in a niche culture, shaped by communities of runners, mountain territories and a certain idea of long-term effort, it has become one of the most dynamic areas of international event sport. It is in this context that UTMB Group chose LEVELED, Com’Over’s new name, to support its media relations and influence strategy across the entire UTMB World Series circuit.
Announced on April 30, this budget gain goes beyond the simple appointment of a PR agency. It comes at a time when UTMB Group must simultaneously manage several issues: the internationalization of its circuit, the promotion of events that have become brands in their own right, the consolidation of its story with very engaged communities, and the need to explain its model in a sporting environment where rapid growth arouses as much interest as demand. For LEVELED, which boasts more than 60 talents, locations in Paris, Lyon, Nice and Hossegor, as well as more than 30% of its activity carried out internationally, this collaboration reinforces an already very strong positioning in major sporting events.
A world circuit to tell a story
Created in 2003 around Mont-Blanc, the UTMB has gradually established itself as the world benchmark for ultra-trail running. The change in scale accelerated with the launch, in 2021, of the UTMB World Series, a global circuit designed to structure practice around qualifying events, finals and a common imagination. The system now includes more than 60 races around the world, according to information communicated by UTMB Group, while the circuit’s official website presents the UTMB World Series as an international circuit bringing together the main trail events in exceptional natural sites.
This global dimension changes the nature of communication work. It is no longer just a matter of publicizing an iconic event, but of giving coherence to a set of events spread across several continents, in different sporting cultures, with audiences with sometimes very contrasting expectations. The mission entrusted to LEVELED will thus focus on structuring the media relations and influence strategy on an international scale, promoting the vision and commitments of UTMB Group, developing media coverage throughout the year, as well as activating journalists, content creators and media partners around the highlights of the calendar.
At the center of the system, the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc retains its role as the main stage. Organized in the Mont-Blanc valleys, the event notably hosts the finals of the circuit and remains UTMB Group’s most powerful asset in terms of notoriety, images and storytelling. Its symbolic weight is all the more important since trail running, an outdoor sport par excellence, is based on a delicate balance between performance, experience, territorial anchoring and environmental acceptability. For an actor like UTMB Group, the communication challenge therefore consists of amplifying as much as clarifying: promoting the circuit without giving the feeling of dispossessing local communities of what makes up the soul of the discipline.
For LEVELED, a mandate that reinforces the repositioning
For LEVELED, this collaboration comes a few days after a change of strategic identity. Founded in 2011 under the name Com’Over, the agency opened a new chapter in April 2026 under the LEVELED banner, with the ambition of expanding its territory of intervention to sport, culture, entertainment and lifestyle. The integration of North Communication, the presence in several French cities and international development contribute to this rise in power.
The gain in the UTMB Group budget is part of a coherent trajectory. The agency already supports references such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Vendée Globe, the NBA or the NFL, according to the elements transmitted by LEVELED. It has also recently strengthened its roots in motorsport, particularly around its missions with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
The choice of UTMB Group also reflects the evolution of the sports agency market. Rights holders are increasingly looking for partners capable of combining media relations, influence, content creation, social media, activation and detailed understanding of communities. Coverage of a circuit like the UTMB World Series can no longer be limited to press coverage. It requires an ability to orchestrate speeches over time, to bring on board specialized creators, to adapt messages to territories and to construct a story that speaks to practitioners as much as to brands, broadcasters, local institutions and economic partners.
“Trail running is today one of the fastest growing sports in the world,” underlines Edouard Menu, associate director of LEVELED, in the press release announcing the collaboration. “Driven by passionate and committed communities, as well as a very strong connection to the territories, UTMB Group plays a major role in this dynamic through a unique international circuit and events that have become iconic. We are very pleased to support the group in structuring and amplifying its media relations and influence strategy on a global scale, and to help further promote this exceptional ecosystem. »
In an outdoor market that is increasingly coveted — by sponsors, equipment manufacturers, tourism players as well as very engaged online communities — trail running is changing scale. The challenge for UTMB Group is now to consolidate this dynamic over time, with clearer, more international and more regular voice. For LEVELED, this new mandate represents a significant reference, at the crossroads of sport, global events and the attractiveness of territories.
A.J.
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