Trail running and reduced mobility: making the mountains accessible to all

Trail running is often associated with steep climbs, technical trails, long miles and unforgiving terrain. Yet the mountains offer far more than competition: they can be places where people of all abilities take part, connect and achieve something remarkable.

Trail running and reduced mobility can (and should) go together. There is no single way to experience the mountains. Adapted routes, skilled support teams and specialist equipment can bring the natural environment and mountain races within reach of participants who would otherwise face significant barriers to participation.

Can someone with reduced mobility take part in trail running?

There is no single answer because reduced mobility is not a single experience.

What is possible depends on the individual, the terrain and distance, their level of independence and the support available. That is why a truly inclusive approach does not simply involve offering the same sport to everyone, but rather creating different ways of participating, shaped around each athlete’s needs.

This may include adapted routes, shorter distances, guided support or equipment built for natural terrain.

Research into physical activity and disability highlights the importance of adapting both the activity and the environment to encourage greater participation. Physical and recreational activity can support mobility, participation and quality of life, although the benefits vary from person to person and by type of activity.

Joëlette: another way to explore the mountains

One piece of equipment opening up mountain trails and races is the Joëlette. This all-terrain chair allows a person with reduced mobility to travel with the support of a team of companions.

It turns the experience into a team effort, with coordination, trust and teamwork every bit as important as physical performance.

A Joëlette also changes what racing means. It is less about pace or position and more about taking on the route together, meeting each challenge and reaching the finish as one team.

Ultimately, it is another way of experiencing trail running.

Inclusive trail running is also about breaking down barriers

Inclusive sport goes far beyond providing adapted equipment.

Making a trail experience for people with reduced mobility work takes more than good intentions. Organisers must think through route access, entry and exit points, terrain, safety, assistance, companion training and every participant’s individual needs.

Research on inclusion in sport points to three essentials: adapting activities and venues, training the people involved and encouraging organisations to work together.

An inclusive race therefore cannot be created simply by cutting the distance. Different ways to take part need to be built into the experience from the start.

How Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® is making trail running more inclusive

This way of understanding the mountains is also part of Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB®.

Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® 2027, which will take place from 8 to 10 April, will once again feature adaptive race formats. Alongside its headline trail-running distances, the programme features the Reto and Joëlettes events, created to help more people with disabilities get involved.

So the Bluetrail experience is not just for athletes ready to tackle huge distances and relentless climbing.

There is more than one way to reach a finish line.

And that diversity is also part of sport.

Racing as a team

In a Joëlette event, no one races alone.

Companions must stay in step, communicate constantly, read the terrain ahead and adjust the pace whenever necessary. The result is an experience in which the sporting element goes hand in hand with cooperation.

The mountain is no longer simply an individual challenge.

It becomes a shared goal.

Perhaps that is one of the key lessons of **inclusive trail running: **going further doesn’t always mean doing it alone.

Nature, sport and inclusion

Regular physical activity supports both physical and mental wellbeing. Building more accessible sporting environments means creating genuine opportunities for disabled people to take part. The World Health Organization also points out that people with disabilities should have opportunities to engage in physical activity suited to their abilities.

In trail running, achieving this means looking at the mountains from a different perspective.

A trail may be difficult to access. A climb may call for extra support. A distance may need to be rethought. None of that should stop the sport from finding new ways to welcome people in.

Because making trail running more inclusive does not mean stripping away its essence.

It means enabling more people to engage with it.

Trail running for different abilities

Over the years, mountain races have expanded to include new distances, categories and formats. The next step is to create events that welcome an even broader range of participants.

The Reto and Joëlettes events at Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® show how a mountain race can bring sport, nature and inclusion together. A race is about more than distance, elevation gain or finishing time.

It is also about who gets the chance to stand on the start line

and feel the thrill of crossing the finish.

Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® 2027 will take place from 8 to 10 April. Discover the Reto and Joëlettes events and a different way to experience "La Mágica".