Why scores differ between race years or similar courses.
Why is there a difference between my score for a race and the score given to a different year’s edition of the same race?
It is normal for different years of the same race to have different scores attributed for the same time. Even if two different years races have the same track, there are other outside factors that can influence the UTMB index Score such as heat, wind, aid stations, compulsory materials, track condition etc. Our statistical calculation method takes these different aspects into account indirectly by looking at the different finish times for all participants and assigns the Score accordingly.
Sometimes, the calculated score for a previous edition may be too high due to incorrect information, errors in the results or lack of recent results for these runners. In the spirit of fairness, we don't want to penalize runners when we discover these errors, which could be days, weeks, or even months later. Therefore, the slightly high score will be maintained, and the next edition will be adjusted to the correct level.
Our main goal is to enhance the accuracy of the UTMB Index to standardize different races worldwide. To achieve this, from time to time races will be adjusted in the current year to better align them with the actual race level. This ensures that certain races don't become easy high-scoring opportunities that don't reflect actual performances.
I saw a runner who ran on a similar course (distance + elevation) got a different score to me. Why is that?
Our years of experience tell us that two races which may be advertised with the same distance and the same elevation profile, but in reality, differ quite considerably. Our statistical correction coefficient makes allowance for these differences as well as many other technical aspects, it is for this reason that the UTMB Index was created.