Hooray, I got my UTMB finisher vest today. I was expecting to get it in October, so it was a pleasant surprise to get it earlier.
Except that I was supposed to get it after I had crossed the finish line. In Chamonix. There it would have been helpful. There was a bit of a chill in the air, and the vest is made of a nice, colourful, fleece. Here in the warm September, it is not nearly as comfortable.
Still, I have to show off. The sacrifices one has to do to let people know they ran a stupid distance race.
There were also a series of emails sent out from the organizers. Here is a couple of quotes from them.

Because the route maintained allowed those who ran it to glimpse the difficulty of the weather conditions as soon as they approached 2000m. Because even if individually you have the physical capacity and knowledge of the mountains to succeed on your own, it is quite another matter when 2500 runners are facing the same obstacles. If you were at the start, you know that it was a true UTMB®. If on the contrary you were not able to run the race, you have missed a veritable UTMB®.

and

Trail-runners who lined up at the start in 2012 were, in our minds, a lot more courageous than those who lined up for the race in very good weather conditions like we had in 2008 or 2009… Difficult weather, route in a complete mess, markers destroyed, heavy skies…altogether enough to make one give up and stay indoors, in the warm, for the day.
All the same you decided to give it a go, you knew how to keep your sense of humour, you adapted yourselves, improvised, stayed obstinate, kept your mind focussed and maintained your spirit. The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®, has beautiful routes to discover, but above all it is an internal conquest. Whether you were a Finisher or not this year, you passed the exam brilliantly.

It is all very inspiring. But I think the key point here, that the organizers are even trying to emphasize, is that this was an actual UTMB. That is very important.
To run the UTMB next year, you need to have seven points gained from up to three ultras in the past two years. Last year I earned three points for the Death Race. This year, because I didn’t finish the Sinister 7, I haven’t had any points. But, completing the UTMB is worth four points.
I’ve been wondering if I would have enough points to try again next year. With the race shortened, would it be worth as many points? In a way, the race wasn’t officially completed, so it could be argued that I should get no points. But with this announcement, things may have changed.
I’m feeling better about my chances now.