Sports
CBAt Trail Rules: Challenges of Regulating Mountain Running
Sidney Togumi and Shubi Guimarães discuss the clash between track-and-field bureaucracy and trail realities.
The introduction of official CBAt and World Athletics regulations into trail running has sparked intense debate over their practical feasibility in mountain terrain. Sidney Togumi and Shubi Guimarães break down key friction points, from mandatory bib placement to competitor safety.
The rapid growth of trail running in Brazil has placed the discipline squarely on the radar of official athletics governing bodies. This shift is part of a broader global push for technical standardization, driven by the anticipated inclusion of trail running in the Olympic program—expected to feature as a showcase event at the Brisbane 2032 Games. However, directly transposing traditional track-and-field regulations to mountain environments has ignited fierce debate among race organizers, coaches, and athletes alike.
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The Clash Between Traditional Athletics and the Mountains
On an episode of XTREMMA Sports, Sidney Togumi and Shubi Guimarães explored the technical and practical hurdles that emerge when rules designed for the track or asphalt are imposed on trail running. In road racing, parameters and course setups are strictly fixed: a marathon measures exactly 42.195 kilometers, and aid stations are placed at rigidly standardized intervals. On the trail, elevation profiles, rugged terrain, and remote locations make absolute standardization impossible.
The very methodology used by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) to define a course relies on the concept of effort-kilometers (distance plus total elevation gain divided by 100). A 50-kilometer race featuring 3,000 meters of positive elevation demands an entirely different physical and logistical strategy than one with only 1,000 meters of gain, rendering direct comparisons based solely on raw distance meaningless.
CBAt Regulation 15 and Practical Inconsistencies
In Brazil, the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt) issued Regulation 15 (Norma 15), adapting World Athletics technical guidelines to regulate trail and mountain running. Sidney Togumi, who served on the drafting committee, points out that much of the document was a direct translation of international mandates, lacking essential adjustments for local terrain realities and specialized athlete equipment.
The clearest example of this friction is the strict requirement that race bibs must be pinned to the chest and remain visible 100% of the time. In trail running, competitors wear hydration vests equipped with front flasks and carry mandatory safety gear in their packs. When mountain weather deteriorates and demands a waterproof shell, piercing the fabric with safety pins ruins the jacket's waterproof membrane—a critical piece of protective equipment against hypothermia. Banning the use of waist-mounted bib holders in sanctioned competitions creates unnecessary conflict with race officials.
Other controversial stipulations include penalties and disqualifications for wearing headphones, recording video on course, and celebrating across the finish line with one's children. While premier international events like the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) handle these situations with pragmatic flexibility, rigid enforcement in domestic competitions has created mounting uncertainty among participants.
Safety and Collective Action
Both Guimarães and Togumi maintain that regulation remains vital for establishing baseline safety standards across events, mandating qualified medical personnel, trained search-and-rescue teams, and hydration stations that align with pre-race promises. Professionalization prevents the rise of unsanctioned races that are unprepared to manage medical emergencies in remote terrain.
To ensure that regulations do not distort the spirit of the sport, the path forward lies in collective community engagement. Rather than relying on isolated social media complaints, race directors and runners must establish formal channels of communication with regional federations and the CBAt to revise impractical rules and ensure that sports governance honors the true essence of mountain running.
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