UTMB announced major changes today. They're partnering with Ironman to make UTMB a World Championship.
Instead of awarding ITRA points to finishers of certified races, there will be 30+ World Series races associated with UTMB, some of which are designated as World Series Majors. Top finishers of these races get automatic entry to one of the UTMB races.
Regular people like me would have to finish at least one of the World Series races, although
there's a lot more to it. At the moment, they haven't announced any World Series races in North America, and they could choose races that are already difficult to get into, like Western States or Hardrock. There is a mysterious "Loyalty Program" that might bypass some of the requirements but they haven't announced how it will work.
I doubt I ever would have had the chance to do UTMB and CCC under these new rules so I'm grateful that I got to go, but I'm sorry for friends who were still waiting for their chance. Upon their 3rd application, they would have been guaranteed entry under the old system.