Environment & Protected Areas

Running Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB means threading four natural sanctuaries: Lady’s Rocks, Moara Dracului Gorge, the Slătioara High Secular Forest and Pietrosul Bistriței peak. Each rises from another age - limestone towers guarded by alpine swifts, a serpent-shaped canyon that hums with water, beech trees older than written history, a crag whose summit glows pink at dawn. Our courses touch these places lightly, using existing shepherd paths and ridge lines. We ask runners to honour the region: no damage to the area nor stray gel wraps. Footsteps fade, legends remain.

Energy can taste like home. At Rarău, Slătioara, Rusca and Giumalău, the course opens into Gourmet Points: live-cooking kiosks run by Hanul Bucovinei, Țara Dornelor dairy artisans, Andrei’s Trout Farm and Grigoraș Butchery. Smoked-trout quesadillas sizzle beside cauldrons of sour-mushroom broth; cheese wheels age under spruce boughs while volunteers slice fresh bread. Everything is sourced within 80 km, cooked on site, and leftovers travel to local shelters. You refuel, the economy blooms, nothing is wasted.

Finding your way should never scar the mountain. We mark every course with reusable, custom Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB tape, recyclable coroplast arrows and personalised markings at forks. Night segments sparkle with tiny blinkers - battery-efficient and retrieved at sweep. No paint is sprayed on rock or bark. Every marker is mapped and counted; sweepers collect them before the forest wakes. Follow the silver rune on custom tape, listen for the creek below, and trust that each sign will vanish after the last headlamp passes.

Sensitive Areas:

You are kindly requested to stay on the main trail in order to preserve the natural environment that you are running through, to avoid increased erosion and disturbing flora and fauna.

RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING

We prioritize local products to avoid unnecessary transport and to support local businesses. Refreshments are regionally sourced and organic farming is favored.

INDIVIDUAL CUPS AND CUTLERY

Since 2006, UTMB Group has implemented a Bring Your Own Utensils (BYOU) system, including a reusable cup as part of the mandatory equipment. Since 2018, runners must also have their own cutlery and bowl for eating. These rules apply to runners competing in the Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB. No crockery, disposable or otherwise, will be provided.

At Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB plastic has no legend. Every runner is required to have a collapsible cup as part of their mandatory race kit. Aid-station crews pour water, isotonic or broth only into personal vessels. No single-use cups, no PET bottles, no excuses. The policy removed more than 18,000 plastic units in 2025 and will double that impact as our field grows. Carry one cup, save a mountain of waste.

DNF-ing / Abandon does not equal exile. Shuttle vans loop from Rusca, TransRarău and Valea Putnei checkpoints back to Câmpulung Moldovenesc on a rolling timetable - no stranded runners, no extra cars on logging roads. On Sunday, dedicated buses depart for Hotel Alpin Rarău for the Rumble Rock 15 K start and return spectators to town afterward. Companions ride free if a seat remains. Fewer private engines mean quieter valleys and cleaner air for the final climb.